Solo class without much buffing to do BG1+BG2?
I played BG1 when it came out a long time ago (did a full party run with a Mage (Invoker) back then and then a solo run with a Fighter if I remember well).
I bought BG1 and BG2 EE about 10 months ago and slowly dragged it on. I had started a game with a sorcerer + full party in BG1 on my desktop, then had to move up north with no internet and forgot to bring my saved game. I did Black Pits and reused my Kensai/Mage to solo BG1 to finish it before getting into BG2 which I had never played (I didn't even know there had been a 2nd game until about a year ago).
I long hesitated between the classes for my main character in BG2. I started as an Inquisitor (+ full party) until I lost the amulet of power somehow and couldn't find it back with previous saves. I then switched over to my Sorcerer from The Black Pits (BG1) + full party. I am now close to being done with the game (I'm in Sendai's cave in BG2 ToB). My Sorcerer is retardedly OP and the fights are just plain boring. While I do find these games are masterpieces, I end up being annoyed with poor pathing, characters getting stuck, spending 5mins to buff and summon everything. Mobs either provide zero challenge and even when there are bosses/liches and such, if I use Time Stop + Alcarity + Dragon's Breaths, I have 3x Abi-Dalzim procs, the clone that can cast spells on top of that, etc. It just ends up being wayyy overkill and the enemy instantly dies the moment Time Stop ends. I'm aware that I'm probably too high level for where I'm supposed to be (I'm lvl 22 on my Sorcerer and Anomen is starting to be ridiculously high in levels close to 29, I also have Keldorn, Jaheira, Aerie and Imoen). I would have loved to use Edwin and a different thief but after testing, it would mess up my party composition too much at this point.
I could possibly drop my party at this point and finish the game with my solo Sorcerer but I want to complete my first run in a more ''regular'' way in order to know what to expect and experience what some of the different classes feel like at high level with their special abilities and high level spells.
I'm thinking about doing more of a solo/power run once I've seen most of the game (I skipped a few things near the end). I'm not sure how I felt about my Kensai/Mage (I think he was lvl 7 Kensai) in BG1 but I really see how huge of an impact high level has on some classes (Mages being weakish in BG1 I find and becoming broken OP in BG2 while Warriors are super strong in early BG1 and don't scale half as much as mages do with BG2).
One thing I'm not sure about the Kensai/Mage is that it might be hard if I solo once I switch from Kensai to mage until the levels catch up. The other thing was that I don't have a whole lot of fun spending several minutes buffing myself before each encounters and then mobs instantly dying (I spend most of the game buffing rather than fighting).
So I was thinking about the Monk which I haven't really played (only tested the NPC in BG2 in duels in the Pocket Plane) and it seemed like an interesting class with some potential and I love the high magic resistance. I however have read people writing that Monk is super hard to solo with and that you have to basically just kite stuff while throwing daggers. Is it truly that bad? Is it just for BG1 and they're good to solo in BG2?
Otherwise, I could consider Kensai/Thief (but once again, it might be rough once I lose Kensai for like 9 levels or so). I could also consider solo Inquisitor which might do better in BG1 but I honestly don't see how I could solo handle the red dragon or strong mages since Dispell Magic from Keldorn doesn't seem to work on everything at high level (Greater Whirlwind on him is really strong though and the magic resistance from the sword also is a big deal). I'm not that big of a fan of the Berserker (I dislike the debuff after the enrage falls off) but I could still consider it I guess.
Any tips or suggestions would be welcome. Oh and I don't plan on getting Siege of Dragonspear any time soon I think, I have other good RPGs that have been collecting dust for all these months until I get done with BG since I didn't want to get into more than one story at once (Pillars of Eternity and Divinity) and I honestly am disappointed into all of the new stuff Beamdog has added into BG1 and BG2 (I dislike the new characters, their voices and their quests along with now some new UI that makes the quick saves not overwrite each other).
I bought BG1 and BG2 EE about 10 months ago and slowly dragged it on. I had started a game with a sorcerer + full party in BG1 on my desktop, then had to move up north with no internet and forgot to bring my saved game. I did Black Pits and reused my Kensai/Mage to solo BG1 to finish it before getting into BG2 which I had never played (I didn't even know there had been a 2nd game until about a year ago).
I long hesitated between the classes for my main character in BG2. I started as an Inquisitor (+ full party) until I lost the amulet of power somehow and couldn't find it back with previous saves. I then switched over to my Sorcerer from The Black Pits (BG1) + full party. I am now close to being done with the game (I'm in Sendai's cave in BG2 ToB). My Sorcerer is retardedly OP and the fights are just plain boring. While I do find these games are masterpieces, I end up being annoyed with poor pathing, characters getting stuck, spending 5mins to buff and summon everything. Mobs either provide zero challenge and even when there are bosses/liches and such, if I use Time Stop + Alcarity + Dragon's Breaths, I have 3x Abi-Dalzim procs, the clone that can cast spells on top of that, etc. It just ends up being wayyy overkill and the enemy instantly dies the moment Time Stop ends. I'm aware that I'm probably too high level for where I'm supposed to be (I'm lvl 22 on my Sorcerer and Anomen is starting to be ridiculously high in levels close to 29, I also have Keldorn, Jaheira, Aerie and Imoen). I would have loved to use Edwin and a different thief but after testing, it would mess up my party composition too much at this point.
I could possibly drop my party at this point and finish the game with my solo Sorcerer but I want to complete my first run in a more ''regular'' way in order to know what to expect and experience what some of the different classes feel like at high level with their special abilities and high level spells.
I'm thinking about doing more of a solo/power run once I've seen most of the game (I skipped a few things near the end). I'm not sure how I felt about my Kensai/Mage (I think he was lvl 7 Kensai) in BG1 but I really see how huge of an impact high level has on some classes (Mages being weakish in BG1 I find and becoming broken OP in BG2 while Warriors are super strong in early BG1 and don't scale half as much as mages do with BG2).
One thing I'm not sure about the Kensai/Mage is that it might be hard if I solo once I switch from Kensai to mage until the levels catch up. The other thing was that I don't have a whole lot of fun spending several minutes buffing myself before each encounters and then mobs instantly dying (I spend most of the game buffing rather than fighting).
So I was thinking about the Monk which I haven't really played (only tested the NPC in BG2 in duels in the Pocket Plane) and it seemed like an interesting class with some potential and I love the high magic resistance. I however have read people writing that Monk is super hard to solo with and that you have to basically just kite stuff while throwing daggers. Is it truly that bad? Is it just for BG1 and they're good to solo in BG2?
Otherwise, I could consider Kensai/Thief (but once again, it might be rough once I lose Kensai for like 9 levels or so). I could also consider solo Inquisitor which might do better in BG1 but I honestly don't see how I could solo handle the red dragon or strong mages since Dispell Magic from Keldorn doesn't seem to work on everything at high level (Greater Whirlwind on him is really strong though and the magic resistance from the sword also is a big deal). I'm not that big of a fan of the Berserker (I dislike the debuff after the enrage falls off) but I could still consider it I guess.
Any tips or suggestions would be welcome. Oh and I don't plan on getting Siege of Dragonspear any time soon I think, I have other good RPGs that have been collecting dust for all these months until I get done with BG since I didn't want to get into more than one story at once (Pillars of Eternity and Divinity) and I honestly am disappointed into all of the new stuff Beamdog has added into BG1 and BG2 (I dislike the new characters, their voices and their quests along with now some new UI that makes the quick saves not overwrite each other).
Post edited by Neo on
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As for Monks, it's definitely true that they need some time to pick up. They only really get good at mid to high level, at low level they can still be viable but have noticeable problems here and there. As their AC is tied to level and BG1 defense is all about AC, they can feel very squishy early in the saga - which is why people recommend the kiting thing you mentioned. But that's less and less the case as you move on, and they become quite resilient in BG2/ToB. Their fists also become respectable weapons, and they can even use a +APR offhand to offset the loss of Haste effects.
If you're not playing with difficulty-enhancing mods like SCS, you can beat the game with pretty much any class. You should pick what you think might be interesting, and what you think might offer a playstyle you could enjoy. If you don't like buffing/casting many spells, pick something more straightforward that just punches through. Monk is definitely a pick there, as is something like Kensai/Thief (which is probably stronger overall). You can also try hybrid classes like Paladin or Ranger, which offer some extra utility if you need it. If you're brave, try a Bard, which will definitely have you be creative about what you're doing.
You're unhappy with having it too easy. You also don't want to buff yourself constantly, you want it to be more like Diablo or something, with different game play dynamics. The other games you've mentioned are kinda like that. I've completed them, soloed POE with all classes, yet I came back to BG
Instead of being disappointed, you could just try to identify your preferred game style and try to implement it, the game itself will not have other option but to adjust to your style
I hope I'm making sense here, nobody makes you do stuff you don't like, you don't have to do buffing.
If you annihilate everything within time stop and with a project image and it makes you unhappy, why do it then? Do something else then o_O and BG lets you do that by offering you a ton of spells. You can make a Skald/Summoner if you like, you can play your mage differently, just use other spells, I am pretty sure you haven't tried combinations of many spells, you don't have to select uber top tier spells that make mages Gods and above all others.
I, myself, for example, assign hot keys like ASD123 etc. and use pause rarely, if ever, and when I do - it's just for a split second (like LoL basically). That way my game has different dynamics, I micro control, kite, switch between sword and bow etc. I quickly move around the crowd, so that I'm always hit by only the closest ONE enemy and others are just following in circles.
Even with my sorcerer I kite and do everything in real time, I don't do pre buffs. Only on few occasions, when it's just necessary. It's not so time consuming to animate skeletons or whatever in advance, and from the start of any fight I'm all set to do real time fighting.
Don't have to even use spell triggers, since if you get into habit of doing that after resting then eventually you'd also feel unhappy about this 'mandatory' routine just like with buffs...
I selected spells for my sorc with fast casting time in such a way that I can quickly negate most of the arising problems in real time. So instead of being constantly upset about something, like you, I tried to find ways to adjust the game to my style.
As for your question about solo classes. All are doable, all are fun, but it only depends on a person playing the game, what he finds to be fun.
Monk is pretty straight forward - Sling proficiency (for Sling of Everard +5) for Kangaxx , Long Sword proficiency for Flame Sword, Single Weapon Style (just for that extra AC and 19/20 roll, hardly will ever need it, but got to put points somewhere anyway), point in daggers for Fire Tooth... +APR Off-hand weapon ... Gauntlets of Crushing.. protection scrolls.. ~Done. Nothing hard, you don't even need boots of speed ASAP, you can already kite monsters in style I mentioned above. Plus, he's got long legs
Other classes could do melee/range weapon switching in real time, use exploding, detonation, biting, anti magic, arrows etc. etc. You could play Shadowdancer and hide in plain sight in a real time fight, you can cast Sanctuary with Clerics, Fighter/Clerics, F->Clerics etc. and then buff slightly in REAL time, just what you need in a particular fight. This way you won't feel as if you're just prebuffing mostly and not actually fighting. I do sanctuary + 1/2 buffs and gogo, then sanctuary again if needed, repeat... my 1st level slots are mostly filled with sanctuary
All classes are cool, but you need to figure out what you will enjoy and what you won't. For example, judging by your text, I kinda feel you have little patience for a lot of things, and you're constantly unsatisfied, and even little things annoy you for some reason, I'm pretty sure it doesn't disappear by changing games you play, I think you find plenty of upsetting things in whichever game ( just my opinion, no offence intended, we are all different, and each of us has to deal with our own issues ^_^)
So, you might not enjoy dual classes for example, and multi-class could be a better choice for you, just my guess. Or just pick one class kit. The thing is, whether its shadowdancer and constant hide and stab, whether its an archer and constant kite, monk, bounty hunter, thief, fighter.. (put any class here) you are always going to get some kind of a routine, and that routine will eventually make you unhappy. So, I don't know, try to enjoy things instead of looking for bad stuff, and then it won't matter.
You found Sorcerer to be OP, yet you want to play Kensai/Mage. Well, guess what, you're going to be upset by his OP too. It's like you don't want OP stuff, but you subconsciously pick the most OP stuff.
As you are talking about doing a solo run why not play a dual class Mage/X and dual up before the Mage has access to Timestop etc. (i.e. dual at whichever level you feel would provide a suitable challenge).
The pre-buffing thing was mostly annoying by the end of BG1 or the early/mid BG2. Now it isn't as bad as I often summon 2-3 mobs, do the priest party buff for rolls (I forget the name, the low level cross icon spell), Group protection from Evil, group Invis, I have my stoneskins on already and I do the other priest armor buff (icon looks like a shield). That's often more than enough for most fights. It's the occasional individual buffs that were tedious before I had the group buff versions.
I do not use Time Stop every fight, I only occasionally do it vs very strong enemies. My Sorc being lvl 22 is now more the way I had envisioned him when I first created him in BG1. I made a Sorc over a mage because I wanted to nuke enemies but throughout BG1 and a long part of BG2, I could barely do it efficiently and had to mostly just be buffing my party and debuffing enemy casters. Now I still debuff them but if I do so with Time Stop, I just chain a Pierce Shield with a Breach, Lower Resistance if needed. I do enjoy my Sorcerer much and he is starting to be insanely powerful and versatile.
The main reason why I wanted to focus on a melee class for soloing was because I already have played with a caster as my main character (just too bad I missed out on THE best staff in the game in SoA and noticed it when I was in the last chapter and too late to go back to get it but I have that Spell Trap spell I learned anyways and it's normally not even needed and overkill).
I do love the game for the story, the music and all of the unique areas. I do love the character depths, etc. etc. There are lots of things that make me enjoy this game, it's just that the combat system is either too hard sometimes in the early/mid game (miss a saving throw on a crowd control and you lose the fight for example) and then suddenly becomes trivial once you have decent gear and become high level (especially for a caster). There isn't a good difficulty curve in it but since it was based off D&D 2nd edition rules (which I still have my books for), it's understandable and more ''realistic''.
I would say that the one thing that annoys me the most is having to wait on characters to walk around and bump into each other and get stuck because of pathing, some of them not having boots of speed. This is why I DID beat BG1 with a solo character twice (once 10+ years ago as a Fighter and a few months ago with a Kensai/Mage) and I do enjoy the game much better this way. It's just that I wanted my first playthrough of BG2 to be with the NPCs to see their quests, stories, interactions (because they are interesting) and also learn what their classes feel like. I also wanted to make sure I would have a good enough rounded party in order to handle every fight by having the necessary buffs, healing, crowd control and damage spells along with a tank, etc. Once I have completed the game, I have a better idea of the fights, a better understanding of the classes at high level, what to expect and what I'll need.
I just still wonder how I can deal with powerful casters as a Monk but I might try it. Inquisitor (or an other paladin) seems tempting as well as I love Carsomyr and am seeing how strong Keldorn is becoming late game with Whirlwind but aside from better AC and maybe a few better points here and there, I think it might not feel a whole lot different than my current Keldorn feels. It would be stronger in BG1 maybe, decent in BG2 still but in the late game, I think the difference wouldn't be that big. Keldorn has awful dexterity which screws me over with one gear slot but that's about it. With a girldle of Giant X strength, the strength number becomes irrelevant in the late game. The small extra hp I might also have with a tome also wouldn't make a significant difference anymore in the late game.
I'm also wondering about traps or things I have to unlock if I don't have a thief in my party (or Kensai/Thief).
Finally, a few Monk questions:
1- Some of you (and other things I have read) suggest for the Monk to get an OH weapon for more attacks per round. Doesn't that make your second fist deal much less damage?
2- Do boots of speed not work on the Monk (I think he becomes immune to speed alteration at some point)?
3- What would be some of the important gear for him that I can find in BG1? It feels out of memory like he couldn't make use of anything aside from the boots/belt/gloves.